The Mystery of an Assassin
by OneHellOfANekoDemon85
Summary: We all know the story about Altaïr, but what if there was more to it? What if there was another presence? One that completely turned his knowledge of the world and his own world completely upside down?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone. It has been far too long, yes I am aware. However, I have been going through some personal developments and changes in my life that has taken some time to get used to. That being said, I am well aware that many of my readers are waiting for me to update my other stories. I am working on them, but due to said personal reasons, I haven't been focusing on my writing.**

 **But this story, I have been focused on this story for YEARS! Literally, I started writing this story in either my freshman or sophomore year of high school.**

 **So I am finally ready to publish it and I hope you do enjoy it.**

 **This is the first chapter of my new story, _The Myserty of an Assassin._ (Tacky title I know).**

A silent figure stood still on one of the many rooftops. To the right stood a beam that reached to a farther building and to the left stood a guard that held his sword unwaveringly at the figure. Two decisions, well three really if jumping down into the bustling street and attracting more attention could be considered one, stood for the silent body. Fight or flight. A smirk on the figure's face was completely hidden by a dark mask, hidden by the shadow of the hood of the robes. Too bad for this man, this Assassin loved to fight.

With an angered yell at the lack of response to his shouted warnings and threats, the guard came rushing forward. The figure slowly reached to its belt to pluck a small throwing knife, one of many. With a lazy flick of its hand, the person sent the throwing knife into the exposed throat of the rushing man. The figure did not look as it turned towards the beam but could hear the strangled gasps for desperate air and the splatter of blood onto the stone of the rooftop. Finally, the sound of a body hitting heavily on the floor flooded the air.

But the figure was already gone. It had disappeared from the roofs and had disappeared from the city through the gates nearby. Disappeared from the city of Jerusalem.

Another Assassin was walking through the busy streets of Masyaf. A Master knocked back down to novice. He was slowly making his way, trying desperately to not attract attention from the Assassin guards stationed throughout the city. All he wanted to do was head out to another assignment, but he had to report back to Al Mualim. He was still angered by the whole predicament. He understood what he did and regretted it.

With an annoyed sigh, he hurried up to the fortress that housed the Assassin's Creed. Altaïr could faintly make out the outline of the Master in the window of his quarters, as always. The Syrian made his through the crowds of Assassins. There were calls of greetings that he ignored and continued to the grand hallways of the fortress's castle. It was not long before Altaïr was standing in front of the Master, relaying what had occurred in Damascus while out on the assignment.

"Good work, Altaïr. We are close to defeating the Templars and you, one step closer to redeeming yourself," Al Mualim said, walking around his desk to stand next to it. Altaïr held back the biting comments that threatened to spill out.

"Yes Master," was all Altaïr said. Al Mualim looked as though he was planning to say something else, but was cut off from something, or rather _someone_ , behind the younger Assassin.

"Ah, returned have you?" Al Mualim asked, bitingly sarcastic. Altaïr looked over his shoulder to look at the person behind him. Problem was, the figure behind him had a mask that covered his face completely, and no identity could be seen. The figure was slightly smaller and shorter than he, but there were plenty of Assassins like that. Looking at the robes of the new arrival, Altaïr could tell that the person was a very high ranking Assassin, probably a Master.

A gruff, muddled voice filtered through the mask, yet it was completely easy to understand even with the material blocking the flow of the voice. "You are lucky I returned at all," the figure said as it came to stand next to Altaïr, who stood in shock at the obvious disrespect being shown to the Master. He could see the anger flit over the old man's face but noticed that it had disappeared as soon as it had come. "I only came to give you the ending rewards of my last few kills," the person continued as he hefted a large bag onto the desk. It was visible that the bag was a lot heavier than it actually looked.

"Cairo, if you continue down this path of disobedience –" Al Mualim started.

"Save me the lecture. I do not care for what you have to say. You have none of my respect, _Master_ ," the figure, Cairo, spat out. It was obvious the contempt this man had.

"I should cut your tongue out for speaking so disrespectfully to the Master," Altaïr growled, his left hand flexing, ready to release the hidden blade on his arm.

"That is enough, Altaïr. Cairo's venom is nothing new to me," Al Mualim sighed. "But you are in the fortress, please act rationally," he finished, glaring harshly at the younger.

"Not for long. I am leaving as soon as I can; I do not desire to be in your filthy presence for much longer," Cairo hissed. The mask on his face could not disguise the hatred in his voice. With those last venomous words, Cairo turned to leave, only to be stopped by Al Mualim called him back. He did not turn, but stopped and inclined his head to show he was listening.

"Your next mission is in Acre. And you are taking Altaïr with you, as your _partner_ ¸" Al Mualim finished.

A roar of rage filled the room as Cairo spun around. "WHAT? I am not taking a whelp with me on any mission," he growled. Altaïr turned to face him and frowned deeply, a scowl setting in.

"The Master knows best," Altaïr said. "But why?" he asked Al Mualim.

"Your next target has not made an appearance quite yet, so I want you to go with Cairo to Acre to do an assignment; I need two Assassins on this one," the Master explained.

"I can do this myself, I work on my own," Cairo snarled.

"Yes Master," Altaïr bowed his head. Al Mualim wordlessly sent a carrier pigeon towards the city.

Without another word, Cairo turned and left the study, going down the stairs. Altaïr turned to follow but stopped. He knew there was another motive, and Al Mualim knew he knew this.

"I want you two to learn from each other. And Cairo needs to trust his brothers," Al Mualim sighed.

Altaïr left the fortress grounds, thinking deeply about this new Assassin that he had never even seen before. Looking around, he noticed that many people were either cowering or hiding.

"What the… Sadi!" Altaïr called to a hiding Assassin. The man looked up and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Altaïr. It is just you."

"What's going on?" Altaïr asked.

"Cairo. He passed through, obviously angry and no one survives his anger. What did the Master say that made him that way," Sadi questioned, looking in the direction that the angered man had apparently gone.

Altaïr left without answering, hurrying towards the gates. The people were slowly beginning to come from hiding, realizing that the threat had passed.

Altaïr found Cairo at the stables, angrily preparing a horse. Altaïr sighed and walked over, but before he could say anything, Cairo spoke.

"A horse for you has already been prepared. Supplies for the journey are in your saddlebags," Cairo sighed as he finished. The horse nudged the younger's chest gently and Cairo softly patted its snout in reply. "I figured that you were not a big enough idiot to not realize that I despise that you are coming with me," Cairo growled as he strapped some bags to the saddle.

"Likewise, but the Master wishes it," Altaïr replied. He was honestly surprised that a horse had been readied for him, he figured Cairo would have tried to leave without him. As he headed over, he heard an annoyed growl come from the younger male.

"What he says is shit to me," the man growled. Altaïr looked over and noticed that the other was already on his horse and heading down the road, away from Masyaf. He too climbed the animal and rode up until he was next to the other Assassin.

"Why do you defy the Master?" Altaïr asked. A wry laugh came from the Assassin next to him.

"I cannot defy someone who is not my Master. I may be under him in this Brotherhood, but I do not respect that man," Cairo replied. As they left the Masyaf lands and entered the kingdom areas, Cairo visibly relaxed. "Anyway, there are a few things you must understand. I do not like to work in groups, nor do I play nice. It is my way, though I do follow the tenants of the Creed. Do not get in my way and do not become an annoyance to me, and we will not have a problem," Cairo concluded. He had slowed down his horse so that the journey seemed more leisurely.

"But the rules of the Creed-" Altaïr began,

"Rules? What do you know of rules, Altaïr Ibn-La'ahad? I may have been gone for quite some time, but word travels fast," Cairo laughed out, cutting him off. Altaïr felt blood rise up into his face and growled. "Ah, I am only teasing you. I found it idiotic that you were knocked down to novice for breaking rules that are meant to be bent and broken. The Templars were planning on laying siege on Masyaf, it would have occurred if your actions were different anyway," Cairo said softly.

Altaïr bowed his head and stayed silent. The two rode in that silence for a couple hours.

Suddenly, Cairo pulled his horse to a stop. Altaïr, noticing this, also stopped and noticed that they were near a nice grassy area with a small, clear lake.

"We will stop here and rest. The sun is going down now," Cairo said as he climbed off the horse. He led the beast to the water, flicking the foam from the horse's mouth that had gathered during the ride. He left the animal to drink and grabbed the reigns of Altaïr's horse after the larger male got off and did the same thing with the animal as he did his own ride.

Altaïr watched him closely as the younger unloaded the bags and set up a small campsite. Within minutes, a fire was going since the temperature was dropping as the sun did.

"Come and rest, Altaïr," Cairo said as he sorted through the bags. He brought out some food and two jugs of water.

Altaïr sat down and took the food and water that was offered to him. Cairo lifted his mask just enough to take a small drink of water and replaced it immediately. Altaïr wasn't even able to see a small glimpse of his face.

"Why do you wear that mask?" Altaïr asked.

"So I have an unrecognizable face," was all that Cairo replied with. "If no one knows my face, then it means I cannot be found," Cairo explained. Altaïr could hear the grin in his voice.

Altaïr raised an unseen eyebrow at this and couldn't help but wonder what the other's face looked like. Was it marred with scars or was it perfectly unharmed? Altaïr resolved to himself that he would sneak a look at his companion's face when he fell asleep.

He never did get the chance to when he finished what could be considered his dinner, his eyes started to droop and it was getting difficult to keep them open. Within moments, Altaïr had fallen asleep, the cowl of his robes drooping over his eyes.

On the other side of the fire, shadows played on the dark material of the mask as the still aware Assassin smiled. The Assassin watched as Altaïr fell victim to the sleeping drought that tainted both the food and water he was given.

A small, calloused hand, free of its glove, came up to the edge of the chin of the mask and lifted it slowly. The firelight reflected on the intelligent eyes that were revealed when the mask was removed. The smile turned into a wicked smirk.

"This… Is going to be interesting."

 **IT GETS BETTER I PROMISE YOU IT GETS BETTER**

 **Tell me what you think, review and follow if you'd like more!**

 **I'll see you next time!**

 **This is OneHellOfANekoDemon85 signing off for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **Enjoy!**

Cairo awoke the next morning, the sky was still dark. The Assassin guessed that it was going to be a couple more hours until the sun decided to make an appearance. He could live with the minimal amount of sleep he had acquired.

Looking over, it became obvious to the Assassin that Altaïr was still asleep. A breath of relief came from the newly awoken man. Cairo had not replaced the mask that was usually worn, meaning his face was all too visible for him to be comfortable.

Cairo quickly got up, replacing the mask the moment the cold metal touched his gloved hand. Moving silently through the camp, the smaller Assassin replaced everything back into the bags and strapped them to the horses, who had been grazing the grass nearby when Cairo had awoken.

Once everything was back into place, Cairo carefully snuffed out the remaining, smoldering embers that had taken over the small fire pit. Finally, everything but one thing was ready to leave. The elder Assassin was still asleep. No surprise there, he had taken two doses of a strong sleep draught.

With a groan, Cairo knew that nothing would be able to awaken the man due to its overdose. The sleep draught usually lasted for a couple hours, but from the amount, it would take far longer. Cairo knew what would have to be done.

With a grunt, the Assassin heaved Altaïr onto his back and lied him on the designated horse that was saddled for Altaïr the evening before. They would have to ride with him still asleep, there was still a long journey ahead of them.

Once Cairo was sure the sleeping man would not fall off his horse, he got onto his own and the journey began again with Altaïr's horse tethered to his to keep the animal from wandering off the path.

Altaïr awoke some time later, the sun was in the sky by now but not quite at its highest point yet. His eyes slowly opened, then closed… Then sprung open when he realized he was far off the ground and he was being jolted.

Bringing his head up cautiously, he saw that he was on the horse that he rode the day before and following a rope that lead from the horse's reigns, saw that it was tethered to Cairo's horse. He also noticed that Cairo had his cowl down so that the long hair hidden was out in the open. He noticed that Cairo had his hair tied back tightly.

Long hair was unusual on a man, but Altaïr knew that some men decided to keep it that way, especially some nobles. This did not come as a shock to him, but what did was the fact that the mask that Cairo usually had over his face was missing. Altaïr was not able to see the other's face, but the mask was obviously gone, as there was no glint of metal that he had seen the day before.

Altaïr groaned at a particularly hard jolt that the horse made from stepping on the uneven ground that impacted his stomach. This caught Cairo's attention to the point where he pulled his mask back on and pulled up his cowl, once again concealing any trace of identity. The smaller male looked back to see Altaïr slowly regaining his consciousness and trying to regain the breath that was taken away from the hit to his stomach.

Cairo pulled the horses to a stop and watched as Altaïr slid off the horse and onto his feet, albeit a bit dizzily. He could not help the smirk that twitched at his lips underneath the mask as he watched the comedic scene.

"Finally awake, are you?" Cairo asked, sitting up straight on his horse.

"Why did you not wake me up when we left?" Altaïr growled, glaring at the masked man.

"I tried, but you would not awaken," Cairo answered simply. As though he had nothing to do with the unusually long period the other man had slept. Not that Altaїr was aware of that either way. He then turned his horse and started back down the path. Altaïr had no choice but to get onto his own and follow quickly, especially when Cairo kicked his horse's flanks so that the horse jolted and ran down the roads.

Altaïr knew that Cairo wanted this assignment to be done and over with so that he could go back to being on his own, but the Master gave them an order and they were expected to follow it. So, he did not understand why Cairo was as reluctant as he was proving to be about it. However, with a sigh, Altaïr followed.

For hours, they rode, ignoring each other's presence in favor of being in their own thoughts and not have to admit that they have to work together, especially from Cairo's part.

The scenery began to change to that of rubble and shows markings of being close to Acre. The gates stood high in the distance, which pushed them both to go faster.

However, in the back of their minds, they both knew that their hell together had only begun.

The gates to Acre stood tall and were heavily guarded. If there was one thing that the both Assassins hated, were guards. For obvious reasons. But Cairo seemed to hate them even more, judging from the groan that escaped him when he saw how many guards were there. It appeared there were more posted than usual.

Hearing this, Altaïr turned to face him and saw that Cairo had his head down low, his hands tightening around the reins he still had in his hands. "Guess it cannot be helped…" Cairo muttered as he lifted his head. Then he froze. Altaïr heard what made him freeze as well. A woman's cry for help.

A little distance away was a woman who looked to be in her twenty's and was being harassed violently by a couple of men. If possible, Altaïr could feel the anger and hatred rolling off Cairo in waves. Then, all he could see was a blur of white and brown of a man on his horse.

"Let go of her, you disgusting mutts!" Cairo growled as he launched from his horse to stab two men simultaneously through their stomachs. As the men fell dead, this alerted the other three who were there and left the woman to make their own attacks. Cairo was ready for them and within minutes, there was a stillness as the last of the men fell, lifeless, at his feet.

Cairo turned to look at the young woman, who had crouched at the first sight of bloodshed and held her hands above her head. Cairo could see that her lips were moving quickly and assumed that she was praying for her life. When she noticed that she was unharmed and still alive, and that the harassers were all dead, she looked up the hooded Assassin in confusion, which turned to gratitude.

Without a word, she got to her feet and ran away, to the gates. Cairo did not take her lack of thanks personally, he understood that she was terrified and happy to be alive. Turning around, Cairo saw that Altaïr seemed frozen as he watched the events that Cairo displayed.

"Altaïr, I will see you inside. Help that scholar before you enter the city, however, and he may be of some use to you," Cairo said as he allowed a stable hand to take his horse away. A crowd of people walked between them, making Altaïr lose sight of the smaller man, and as the group left, Cairo was gone.

With an annoyed growl, he turned to see that a scholar was indeed also being harassed by guards. Quickly, he ran over to help.

With the guards dispatched and the scholar grateful for his help, Altaïr was able to travel through using a small group of scholars to blend in. No one was able to tell the difference between his Assassin robes and their scholar ones anyway.

With a safe passage into the city, Altaïr wondered how Cairo had planned to get inside. He was obviously not thrilled by the sight of the guards at the door, but there was no other way to get inside… Altaïr pushed the thought of the annoyance out of his mind in favor of making sure no guards had noticed his own entrance despite the coverage of other white robes.

Once he deemed it safe, Altaïr exited the small group and traveled the many streets of Acre.

Out of the darkness of one alley, a hand stretched out and grasped his robes where the cowl met the body and pulled him back. Altaïr swallowed a startled cry as his hand instantly went to the pommel of his sword and prepared to pull it out.

"Calm down, would you? It is only me," Cairo's voice sounded in his ear. Altaïr growled and retched himself free of Cairo's grasp, feeling Cairo release his grip.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Altaïr growled, glaring darkly at the other. He saw Cairo shrug.

"Many, many things. Where do I begin?" Cairo replied as he turned and faced one of the walls that created the alley.

 _What?_ Altaïr questioned mentally as Cairo felt over the wall, occasionally pressing against the rock. Eventually a triumph sound came from Cairo as he pushed at the wall again and a small section gave way to reveal a lever.

"Are you coming or not?" Cairo asked as he pulled on the lever, a hidden door opening by the lever being used as a handle. Only a staircase showed, which led down to a deep, dark expanse under the building. Cairo went inside without hesitation, one hand on the wall to keep his balance on the crumbling steps in the darkness.

With unease settling in his stomach, Altaïr followed him. It was worse than it looked, it was impossible to see and some of the steps were completely broken down and missing.

"I am sorry about the state of the staircase. It has been some time since I was last in Acre and the steps seemed to have fallen to disrepair," Cairo apologized as he stopped. Altaïr only knew this because he had stumbled into the solid, yet… Soft back of the smaller man.

There was a sound of something being tugged on then a clanking. Altaïr was then blinded by light that suddenly flooded the dark staircase. A secret door had opened on the side wall to reveal a lavishly decorated, brightly lit room that had various floor pillows and rugs decorating the floors, tapestries hanging on the walls displaying majestic, yet gruesome battle scenes, and various amounts of scrolls and other scraps of parchment littering table tops and the floors.

"Excuse the mess; it has been a while, as I said," Cairo said as he carefully made his way inside, picking up the papers that were scattered around. Altaïr entered the sanctuary in amazement.

"How do you have all this stuff?" Altaïr asked, looking at the obviously expensive wall decorations.

"I have a lot more money than many believe. I tend to save it away… I may or may not have come from a noble family… That is, before I became a novice under the Brotherhood," Cairo said absently, tucking the scrolls and parchment under his arm. He then climbed the ladder that was on the far side of the wall that led into the roof to the next floor. A loud bang sounded through the sanctuary as Cairo shut a wooden trap door onto the opening and then locked it.

Altaïr shook his head and looked around the room. He could believe that Cairo was from nobility… But why did he leave?

The sound of the trap door opening caught his attention. He looked over to see Cairo climbing down the ladder.

Cairo jumped down the last few steps and rummaged through a chest that was next to the ladder. After finding what he apparently wanted to get, he hid it inside his robes.

"I am going out. There are some new materials I have to look for. Do not leave this hideout until the sun rises in the morning, and that is not a request," Cairo warned as he headed to the hidden door and as it opened, turned to Altaïr. "You will be killed if you head out now," he finished and then disappeared up the steps. The hidden door slid closed,

Running over, he banged on where the door was but it would not budge. He had nowhere to go until the morning came around.

With a sigh, Altaïr sat down on one of the floor pillows and pulled off his cowl. Running his hand through hair, Altaïr looked around the actual spacious living space. Maybe there was something that he could do after all…

He was, after all, very curious about the Assassin he was stuck working with… And Cairo never said he couldn't look around… And that top floor seemed to hold some answers.

 **Don't forget to review and tell me what you think.**

 **Till next time! This is OneHellOfANekoDemon85 signing off!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

 **Enjoy!**

Outside the hidden sanctuary, Cairo let out a breath of air, leaning heavily against the wall. How did he get himself into these situations? Being stuck with another Assassin? And this one will surely start to ask questions. After all, who wouldn't?

But there was another thing weighing heavily on his mind.

He knew what Al Mualim told Altaïr before they left. It was obvious that he warned the disgraced Assassin of his apparent disregard for the Creed, which in fact was not true. Al Mualim was the only one he despised. Al Mualim was the only one he could never trust. Cairo knew the truth about the old man yet could never reveal it. Who would believe him? The "wise" old man of the Brotherhood certainly trumped the murderous and antisocial Master Assassin, in terms of rank and trust amongst the Brothers.

However, he could not be bothered. He had more important things to do. Cairo looked around at the small courtyard he found himself once he left his sanctuary, then towards the position of the sun. It was still relatively early in the afternoon; the markets would be bustling still. He wasn't joking when he said he had to get more materials. With a tired sigh, Cairo pushed himself off the wall and began to make his way to the market, fixing his hood.

Unfortunately, Cairo was not able to notice the bulking shadow following him through the alleys, lost in his thoughts as he was. It was only when the shadow made the mistake of taking a single step too close that Cairo lifted his head. But it was too late. Just as he started to turn around, a heavy, blunt object landed on the back of his head.

Cairo's world went to the darkness.

It was dark. It was cold. Those were the first things that Cairo noticed as he started to become aware. Then, there was something cold and heavy weighing own around his wrists and ankles. Shackles, strong ones. They seemed to learn to not leave him without heavy restraints then. With a groan, Cairo's eyes fluttered open. He was relieved to see that his mask was still in place. He could feel the inner fabric lining. It was cool on his skin.

With some effort, Cairo was able to get into a sitting position on the cot of the cell he was being held in. There wasn't much to see, it was similar to the one that he was in the last time he was here. Looking down at his wrists, he noticed that the shackles were steel this time, not iron. They really did all that they could to make sure he didn't get away this time… But it wasn't enough. It was never enough. This time, the shackles were made too large to be able to hold him secure.

Bringing his hands up, Cairo was able to pull off the leather gloves with his teeth by nudging the mask up. Once they were off, he replaced the mask to its proper position. Using the minimal light offered through the small barred window along the wall next to him, Cairo assessed the worn leather and huffed. He would have to get new ones soon, he could see the beginnings of a hole being formed at the junction of the thumb and index finger. The gloves were thick enough to not let a lot of damage hit the skin but thin enough for him to feel and hold things with ease. Without the gloves on, Cairo was able to slip his hands from the shackles with slight twisting movements of his wrists.

He then tucked the removed gloves into one of the many secret pockets that were in his robes. Quickly, Cairo assessed the rest of his person. He noticed that the only weapon that was taken away was his sword, which was getting dull and old anyway. He was going to get rid of it soon enough, might as well do it now. All his other hidden weapons were still in their proper places, especially the hidden blade _s_.

The clanking of the cell door being pulled open brought Cairo's gaze to the new arrival of the guards… Templar guards. The scowl that appeared on Cairo's face went unnoticed behind the mask, but the supreme hatred he felt rolled off of him all-too noticeable waves.

The guards grabbed a heavy chain from the wall and pulled back the hood of Cairo's robes, allowing his freed hair to fall down his back. Cairo fought the urge to pout. He really liked the leather thong he had used to hold his hair back. It was relatively new too. They thankfully left the mask, no doubt wanting to remove it at the public execution.

He knew that's where they were taking him. They have wanted him dead for a long time, not just because of his Assassin status, but because of how hard he was to catch. It was aggravating to them how easily he got away each time. To Cairo, it had become a game of some sort. But not only that, these idiots never seemed to know how to shut their damn mouths around him. It's a wonder that they haven't figured out that their gossiping has helped Cairo succeed in his tasks.

Staying silent as the guards jeered and threw insults at him, Cairo felt the chain wrapping tightly around his neck. He stayed quiet, listening keenly for any information about the new target.

As he was being led to the execution grounds, he was not disappointed.

Altaïr looked around the top floor. If he thought that the bottom floor was lavishly decorated, he was completely mistaken. This… Was the most richly decorated place he had ever seen. Emblems of the Brotherhood were everywhere; hidden within battle scene tapestries, in paintings on the wall, carvings in the wood and stone of the floor and walls. Beautiful floor pillows were neatly arranged in a living area around a hookah, and along the walls. There was a fire pit in the middle of the room, which still had smoldering embers and smoke coming from it.

However, the only place that was not neat was the desk in the back of the room and what looked like a closet. The desk was a mess itself, covered in scrolls and parchment, along with charcoal, wax sticks, and ink. Altaïr went over and cautiously looked at what the scrolls contained. Most were in a different language, one that he could not understand and then there were drawings that resembled the hidden blade and other pieces of small weaponry. One in particular looked strange – a hollowed out blade but he could not figure out what it was.

Altaïr could not make sense of what he was looking at and could not understand what the words were. He knew it was a different language, but he only knew Arabic and some English.

He then walked over to the closet, which looked as though it was ransacked. Altaïr kneeled down next to the clothes and noticed a long, white piece of fabric underneath the other clothes. That's what he noticed the most. Carefully, Altaïr tugged out the fabric and noticed multiple red-brown spots and stains on it. Blood.

He broke from his thoughts when he noticed sunlight beginning to filter into the room. Looking up at a small window, he noticed the sky beginning to lighten up. He could leave.

Forgetting the bloodstained cloth, he hurried down the ladder and to the door. This time, he had more success at opening it, since it slid open easily this time. If Altaïr was being honest with himself, he would continue to think this place is stranger than Cairo himself.

Altaïr carefully made his way up the steps, occasionally stumbling on those that were crumbling apart. This place was honestly a death trap.

The sun was blinding when he finally got out of the hidden sanctuary, despite it only just beginning to come up. But that was the least of his problems.

Cairo had not come back and Altaïr had no clue as to where the Assassin could be. He was actually getting to be slightly worried.

There was something off about the atmosphere of the city, it seemed livelier than it had when the two arrived. And something in his gut told him that it wasn't anything good.

Altaïr wandered out of the alley and into the bustling streets, listening for any indication of where the missing Assassin could be or what could have happened to liven up Acre. He did not know what he was expecting, but he knew that he was not expecting hearing about an execution. Especially an execution of a "demon" who wore a white robe and deceived everyone in the city. _Cairo…_

Altaïr changed his direction and set off for the execution grounds. However, when he arrived, he saw that there was already a large crowd surrounding the raised platform. They were all jeering out, thirsty to watch the spectacle that promised bloodshed, especially from the "demon." And on that wooden platform, stood an Assassin bound in heavy chains. There were chains wrapping around Cairo's neck and connecting to the high beam, chains connecting from his wrists to the floor boards, along with his ankles, allowing no movement. The position the chains caused put him so that his limbs were spread slightly apart.

The Executioner strode around the bound Assassin, occasionally landing a hard blow on the man's bowed head. Altaïr could see red dripping down the mask that Cairo still wore and a dark wet spot forming on the cowl of where he had been hit. It was too much to be from that one hit alone. Altaїr supposed that the Executioner had been up to that particular act for some time.

The small sight of blood sent the crowd further into a frenzy and further excited them. Cries for more filled the air. Altaïr began to push his way through the crowd to get closer to the platform. He could not allow one of his Brothers die, no matter how strange or annoying he may be.

"You have been charged with the multiple murders of important people, filthy rat! You shall have no appeal to your case and shall be executed here, damned-to-hell Assassin!" the Executioner called out, once again bashing at Cairo's head. "Do you have any last words, pig? Before I take your pathetic life?"

"Yes. If you would please grant me this last request. Please, remove this mask and hood so that I may stare into the face of my sins with my last breath," Cairo asked, bowing his head once more. The motion allowed more blood to fall. Behind his mask, Cairo rolled his eyes. _How many times have we played this game? Get some new material_.

 _Cairo.. How can you give up so easily!_ Altaïr questioned angrily as he pushed his way more aggressively through the crowd, earning multiple angered curses from the viewers.

With a smirk on his horribly scarred face, the Executioner grasped the mask and hood, ready to pull it off.

"And one last thing…" Quickly, Cairo pulled his bare hands through the obviously too big shackles and stabbed his hidden blade _s_ into the bigger man's skull. Altaïr froze in shock and wonder as the smaller pushed the dead man to the ground with ease. "Long live the Creed."

Cairo straightened and pulled his feet from the shackles on his ankles and pulled off the chains from around his neck, just as more guards came rushing to kill him. With a hidden smirk, Cairo reached into his robes and pulled out a small ball made of glass.

"Maybe you will catch me next time."

Throwing the ball onto the ground, it erupted, and smoke began to build around Cairo's feet. Screams and gasps of fright filled the air as the smoke terrified the by standing crowd.

And once the smoke cleared, Cairo was gone.

"Where did he go?"

"Find him!"

"He couldn't have gotten far!"

These yells came from multiple guards as they pushed through the frightened crowd as they immediately began their search. Altaïr watched and looked back towards the platform as the last of the thinning smoke cleared. _Where could he have gone?_

"Altaïr!" a hiss came from behind him and he turned around slowly. Cairo was standing behind him.

"What are you doing here! The guards can find you here!" Altaïr hissed.

"I know, so come on!" Cairo said as he grabbed Altaïr's arm and dragged him away from the crowd and from the guards. Altaïr quickly followed and together the two left the area.

 **Leave a review if you'd like and tell me what you think!**

 **This is OneHellOfANekoDemon85 signing off for now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Because I am simply too impatient – I will be posting the rest of the chapters as soon as they are proof read.**

 **I do not own Assassin's Creed, but I do own Cairo.**

 _There are too many people in this damned city_ , Cairo thought angrily as he slipped in and out of the throngs of people. He didn't mind the crowd, despite the slight press on his chest from the lack of ability to breathe, but it was the guards that made him angry. Those imbeciles were able to gossip their ways around the city faster than women in social gatherings do. And that gossip was out for his head.

Each time he was uncovered by the crowd, he could feel the guards' eyes on him suspiciously, which made him duck right back into the crowd… Dragging Altaїr with him by the arm the entire time. He had no choice, but to drag the man with him. How else was he to lead a horse to water?

Altaїr did all that he could to keep up with the younger, who seemed to get more agitated with each second that past. He noticed the tenseness in the younger's shoulders and the stiffness in his back. He could also see Cairo's blood soaking the cowl through, creating a larger mass of the wet, red stain. His mind flashed back to the fabric that he found in Cairo's bedroom back at his hidden sanctuary.

Cairo's eyes snapped back and forth, hidden behind the sheer fabric of the mask and it felt off. His mask had been moved out of the correct position during the earlier conflict and he could feel the air hiding his skin. It did not make his mood any better. As he scanned the crowds, he spotted an alley that was much less crowded and let go of Altaїr in favor of heading in that direction quicker.

With a stifled yelp, Altaїr gained his footing as he stumbled once he was let go. He glared at the other, who didn't even turn around to check to see if he was alright. With an annoyed growl, Altaїr followed Cairo.

The alley was much less crowded, he noted, and a whole lot more dangerous than being out on the public streets. Thugs walked close to the walls, noting with interest the two new arrivals. The two Assassins paid them no mind as they continued to make their way through the dimming area. The light from the day was being blocked out by the buildings as they got closer together.

The alley ended in a dead end, but that didn't stop Cairo. Instead he climbed the wall to get to the top… Or he would have, had he not been hit with a sudden dizziness that made him let go of the wall and collapse back. Luckily Altaïr had been directly behind him to catch the weakened man. Altaïr grunted under the sudden weight that he was forced under.

"Cairo?" No response, so he tried again, placing a hand on the younger's shoulder to shake him slightly. "Cairo? Are you alright?" Nothing. There was no response from the Assassin, not even a small twitch of his finger. Kneeling down, Altaïr placed the unconscious Assassin on the ground, keeping his head braced as he noticed more blood covering the cowl and the mask.

 _That's right, the Executioner bashed his head a couple of times_ , Altaïr remembered. Cairo needed medical attention and fast, but there was no doctor within miles. The one that could be remotely helpful was Cairo himself. Altaïr lifted the man into his arms and realized that he was surprisingly very light. Cairo weighed almost absolutely nothing. Maybe that is why he could move so quickly. Even through the clothes and even though there was almost no weight on him, Altaïr could feel the strong muscles of his body.

 _Hold on, Cairo,_ Altaïr thought as he drifted out of the dead end with Cairo tucked into his arms. He ran towards the hidden sanctuary, where he was sure he could find something to help his fallen brother. Cairo had everything else in there, why not some medical supplies?

There was no time to waste. Altaïr started to recognize the area around him and then the alley that had the secret door came into view. He felt his heart begin to pound with the thought of the hidden sanctuary. However, once he stopped at the place where he was sure the door was, he realized that he had no clue on how to get inside.

Altaïr growled to himself as he looked at the wall, even tapping into the sixth sense he had acquired during his training. With it, he could see the outline of a door, but that lever that he remembered Cairo using was invisible to him. But it had to be close to the door, right?

Shifting Cairo's weight to one arm, holding the man upright, Altaïr went to work trying to find the lever. It was trickier than he hoped and had taken longer than he would have liked, but the door was pulled open. The next challenge was going down the stairs. He could recall the struggle and problematic process it had been going down the first time and that was with Cairo actually awake and then the time it had taken to come back up. But, there was no time to wait, he knew that Cairo needed his help.

Taking a breath to settle the worked up nerves inside him, Altaïr made sure Cairo was secure in his grasp and slowly made his way down the horrid steps. He could feel them crumble underneath the combined weight of himself and of the unconscious Assassin.

He went down for a time, but stopped at a point. There was no telling where the door to the actual sanctuary was, it was too dark. With a sigh, he once again tapped into the Sight and looked around him. His search proved to be a success, as he saw an outline of light coming from the wall a little further down. That had to be what he was looking for!

Altaïr pressed against the wall and felt as it gave to expose the lavish entrance room. Finally, Cairo can get the medical attention that he needed. Just looking at what he could see, even with the mask on and the cowl up, Cairo was in even more desperate need of such treatment. The blood that stained through the cowl was becoming plentiful, causing the pure white to become bright red.

He quickly lied Cairo down on the floor, making sure not to jostle the Assassin even further. Altaïr looked around the expanse of the room and saw nothing that would make it seem as though it held medical supplies, so he decided to look back on the top floor. As he climbed the ladder, he never noticed that Cairo's mask had come loose and fallen off when he was being lowered onto the floor pillows.

Cairo groaned in pain as he slowly came to. Feeling slowly came back to him, but he really did not want it to. He could feel every single muscle in his body protesting at the mere suggestion of coming back to life and moving. His head was what the worst part was, however. His skull felt nothing short of a liquid.

Against his better judgment, however, Cairo slowly opened his eyes to the onslaught of bright light. The light made the pain in his head hurt even further, but there was nothing that could be done, his mask at least dulled the light. His eyes slowly closed again and he kept his head lied back… Then he realized something, his eyes shooting open.

His mask was not blocking out the light. His mask was not covering his face. The revelation made him sit up and ignore the pain it caused, along with the dizzy feeling. He brought a hand up in fear, hoping that he was wrong. He was not.

Looking around, Cairo noticed he was back in the sanctuary he created. _Altaïr must have brought us back here…_ He realized. Then the true fear sank in. _Did… Did that bastard see my face?_ Cairo did not want to know the answer. He looked around again and saw the mask lying on the floor, covered in his blood. _Shit. No wonder my head feels like it was hatched open in half._

Cairo slowly got to his feet, noticing that Altaïr was nowhere to be seen, but he could be heard upstairs. Another thing that annoyed Cairo, Altaïr is in his personal room. With a growl, he picked up the mask and made his way to a side room that was hidden behind a tapestry. A supply closet.

Opening the door, he faced a room filled with wall-to-wall shelves that held multiple jars, chests, and wooden containers. The medical bandages were next to the door, thankfully in his reach of his smaller height frame. With a pained grunt, he grasped a handful and pulled them with him to a slightly smaller washroom. A sealed jug of water stood next to a pure white marble basin. There were a few pieces of clean cloth underneath the basin in a cabinet.

Casting a quick glance to the ladder, Cairo quickly stepped into the washroom and pulled the curtain that separated the rooms closed, though it was actually a tapestry that covered the entry entirely.

He sighed as he pulled down the hood, grimacing as he felt the fabric come apart from the bloody, matted hair. He stared into the mirror, the bright bluish-green color of his eyes staring back as they stood out from the tanned skin of his face and from the bright red lines the drops of blood had created as they traveled down the skin.

He winced at the obvious signs of trauma and sighed. He knew he had a better understanding of medical applications than most, but he knew that this was going to have a lot of work to do.

Pulling the seal from the jug of water, Cairo dipped in a hand linen towel, feeling the water soak into the fabric. He sighed as he leaned his head down and slowly rinsed out his hair of the blood, knowing it would be easier to work without the matted hair blocking his way to the injury. He watched as the towel came back red and black with fresh and dried blood.

He repeated the process of wiping down the long strands of hair that were soaked through with the thick liquid of life. Once he was done, he slowly got to work with dressing the wounds on his head. The blows that the bull-of-a-man had caused a large, but shallow cut to run along the top of his head, but it was actually below his hairline.

There was no choice, but he had to do it. There were no other materials that he could use to seal the wound, since he had run out a while ago. He would have to leave it to heal itself. Thankfully, the wound was shallow enough to do so without complications. Cairo grabbed some fabric that he used as wrappings and slowly dressed the wound, careful not to cause any further damage to his own head.

Cairo could guess that he had, embarrassingly enough, fainted because of the blood loss and from the amount of times he was hit with the meaty fist of the Executioner.

He cast a glance at the mask that lied face up next to the basin and frowned deeply. It was no longer wearable with the amount of blood that had accumulated, until it could be washed properly. With a groan, he realized that he would have to wait until he could wear his favorite mask once again… And that meant going with one of his older ones. And that also meant that he would have to take the risk of Altaïr seeing his face, if he had not seen it yet.

But that was risk he had to be willing to take.

Altaïr had absolutely no luck in finding any sort of medical supplies in the top floor. It had everything but what he needed.

With a sigh, Altaïr took one more desperate look in the closet, but came up empty. There was nothing that he could use to help Cairo. There was nothing that he could use to save his brother.

As he turned to go back down to search there instead, a flash of blue caught his eye. The curiosity was too much to resist and he looked closer to come to realize that the splash of blue was a woman's tunic. A very beautiful woman's tunic.

Why would Cairo have this? He couldn't have brought a woman back to the hidden sanctuary, it would have been an idiotic mistake on his part.

A crash from downstairs tore his attention away from the thoughts and theories of the tunic. Immediately, he thought of the worst case scenario, that someone had broken in and was attacking. And Cairo was downstairs, unconscious.

With one last look to the tunic, he hurried to the trap door and jumped down, rather than taking the ladder. It would have taken too much time. His senses were on high alert as he crouched, preparing to strike as he landed on a body.

"You bloody idiot! Get the hell off of me!" he heard underneath him. It sounded very close to… Cairo! He looked down and he saw a masked face staring straight into his, but he knew that Cairo was glaring death at him.

"My apologizes; I thought someone had broken in," Altaïr said as he stood and stepped to the side to get off of the man. He reached down to help the younger back up, which the younger took. Then he remembered. "Your head!" He looked closer to see a flash of white underneath the cowl and peeking over the mask. A different mask than before. The other looked sort of a silver color, this one was completely black.

"I woke up a while ago, and since you were most likely fooling around in my room, I decided to dress my own wounds. Some "brother" you are," Cairo sneered as he dusted off himself from the impact. Altaïr frowned deeply at this and stepped forward to speak, but was cut off. "No matter. It is water under the bridge now. I have information on our target," Cairo said as he walked back to the living expanse of the main room, albeit unsteadily.

Altaïr chose to say nothing, as that seemed to be the wiser choice, and sat across from the other.

"This is what I have learned," Cairo began. "Our target has made an appearance at the center of the city, only to make a point of killing one of his workers. He is not a direct Templar, but he does work for them. And apparently, he is important to their plans, whatever they are," Cairo stopped here to take a breath, as he had talked with only one intake of air. "His name was one thing that eluded me while I was in prison, but I did learn it from hearing the gossip of the people earlier. His name Abd-El-Kadir. A merchant to the Templars if I am correct. "

"Why are we sent to kill him if he is not a direct Templar?" Altaïr questioned, leaning forward slightly.

"If we get rid of a leg of the foundation, the entire structure begins to fall apart. Simple as that," Cairo hummed quietly. "Though this is a task for a novice to do… A real novice, mind you," Cairo added with a smirk in his voice. Altaïr frowned at this, but knew that Cairo meant well… Or as well as he could.

"Very well. When will we get rid of him?" Altaïr sighed.

"After we get wind of his present location and his daily activities. From what I heard, he is quite the womanizer. I am willing to bet that he will be at a brothel of some sort," Cairo shrugged.

"And after?"

"After, we strike."

 **Review and tell me what you think! As I said before, the rest of the chapters will be up soon enough once I proofread them for my own purposes to see what I should add.**

 **This is OneHellOfANekoDemon85 signing off! Till next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I can't say how sorry I am that it took me so long to update… anything really.**

 **So here's the next chapter – ENJOY**

 **(I do not own Assassin's Creed)**

Cairo growled in annoyance to himself as he looked over the scrolls that littered his desk. There was nothing to do until nightfall, not with the guards running around and on high alert and looking for the escaped man. So, he resigned himself to get some work done on the plans he had for upgrading his weaponry.

However, Cairo had no chance of focusing on any of the work, due to an irritable Assassin that was pacing on the other side of the room. Altaïr would occasionally stop in his pacing, allowing for a moment of peace where Cairo was able to focus, but another moment later, the agitated male would start right back up again.

Finally, Cairo had enough. "For the love of Death himself! Stop that maniac pacing!" he snapped, jolting to his feet from the chair he was sitting in, sending it flying back with a crash. Altaïr immediately froze and turned to look at the other male. Then he scowled underneath the cowl that covered his head.

"Oh, do forgive me. I am not used to being subjected to doing nothing. However, you seem to be used to it. Are you truly that lazy to sit around?" Altaïr growled. Cairo knew what the underlying meaning to his jab was and did not appreciate it. Being lazy was a sin in the Islamic religion… Or something close to it. Cairo was, truthfully, nowhere near being any sort of religious, but he did have some sort of respect towards others' beliefs.

"First, I am actually doing something productive, but you would not understand considering you are unable to sit still for more than five minutes. Second, I never said you had to stay down here, you do that of your free will," Cairo snarled back, bending down to pick up his chair so that he could sit, once again, at his desk.

Altaïr glared darkly at the other Assassin, realizing that he was right. Cairo never said he had to stay, yet he did. But there was another reason for his pacing; he was very much curious about what Cairo was working on. He could not ask, however, Cairo would not answer him, or he would give him something cryptic and it would take another lifetime to try to understand it.

With an aggravated sigh, he sat down at one of the floor pillows, discreetly watching the other from the corner of his eye. He then hummed as he once again caught sight of that strange writing as Cairo shifted one of the papyri from his hand.

"What is that writing?" Altaїr asked, unable to hold onto his curiosity.

Cairo lifted his head to peer at the older male, contemplating whether he should answer. With a sigh, Cairo decided to through the old dog a bone.

Altaїr had turned away as he thought out his decision, seeing as how Cairo had taken some time. He realized that the odds of the smaller male actually answering was highly implausible.

"The majority is Greek. There are some passages written in older Latin," Cairo answered as he turned back to his work. Altaїr stared at the male, unable to believe he had gotten an answer.

"Where did you learn to write?" Altaїr pushed.

"Home." That was the only thing Cairo supplied. And within his tone, Altaїr could sense the finality of it.

Cairo sighed as he noticed the male staring in his direction. Well, at least he was not pacing any longer. Maybe now, he could get some real work done. There were quite a few contracts that had to be looked over, considering he did still have his own business outside of the Creed to worry about.

And that was a decision that he wished he never made.

It was growing darker outside, Altaïr could tell, but he found that he did not care. The whole day was wasted to lying in wait, but in wait for what, he did not know. All he knew was that Cairo was being particularly hostile in the last few hours.

Altaïr was watching the other man write furiously at his desk, having been bent over whatever he was doing for the entire day. He had no idea what he was doing, but he cannot lie and say that his curiosity had not grown in the past hours.

As Altaïr watched, he noticed Cairo stop writing and place down the feathered quill. Cairo then straightened from bending over the desk and stretched his arms in front of him.

"I would appreciate it if you stopped staring me. It is setting off my instinct to kill you," Cairo said as he stood from his seat. Altaïr growled and looked away, to hide the redness of his face. He heard the other begin to move about the room and the creaking of the ladder. The infuriating man was going back to the upper level of the residence.

Cairo smirked to himself as he stood in front of his closet. He had to admit to himself, it was wonderful fun, messing with the "novice" Assassin. Cairo absolutely loved the way his face turned bright red when he was embarrassed.

Shaking his head to clear it of those thoughts, he turned to his task at hand. Formulating a plan. While he was working for those countless hours, his mind wandered off and to the assignment, the old man gave him and Altaïr and to the target. He had an idea of what he could do, but Altaïr was still a factor he did not count on.

Altaïr had to be put out of the way. Maybe sending him on a worthless task, and tell him to find out more of the target? Could that work? Possibly, if Altaïr was as blind as Cairo gave him credit for. And if he questions why he isn't doing anything? Simple answer.

Cairo pulled off his mask and smirked. Yes, this plan would work. His plans always work.

Altaïr was beginning to become suspicious of what the other was doing upstairs. He had been up there for quite some time.

Just as Altaïr made the decision to go up and see what was going on, the door leading to the upper level opened and Cairo came back down, mask on and hood up as always.

"Altaïr," Cairo called as he faced the other. The Eagle's gaze turned to him and raised an eyebrow at his inquiry.

"What do you want?" Altaïr growled out.

"I need you to go out and find out more of the target. I cannot go out now, as the guards are still on high alert for me," Cairo sighed. "If they were not, I would go out myself." Altaïr nodded to himself, considering this explanation. This was quite true. The guards were still looking for the escaped Assassin and had not stopped to rest for the entire day.

"Very well," Altaïr sighed in agreement. To be completely honest, he was itching to get out of the confines of the sanctuary.

"Good. Leave now," Cairo commanded as he sat back down at his desk. Altaïr growled at being commanded but did as he was ordered, seeing that in his current predicament, Cairo was superior to him.

Cairo watched as Altaïr left, sighing in silent relief as he looked around the emptier room. Only he remained. With another sigh, Cairo took off the mask and one of his gloves. He stared at the burn mark his palm was decorated with and clenched his fist.

Turning away from the door, he went back to his plan. There was much to do and very little time.

Altaïr growled as he stalked through the voluminous crowd. That bastard dared to order him around. As if he were nothing more than a whelp! Cairo was such an infuriating man to be around and he could not wait to finish this mission. However, there was the lingering thought of what the other would do after this.

It annoyed the already enraged male that his thoughts were often on the other. He could not deny that he held an interesting quality. Nor could Altaïr deny his desire to get closer to the other. This completely goes against everything he was raised to feel and think! He had to stop thinking in such manners!

Altaïr shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. He had an assignment to do and despite the fact that he did not want to, he must.

So that this mission can end and his life can finally be back to normal.

Cairo watched as the object of his desire came closer. The target, Abd-El-Kadir, had noticed his presence and mistook it exactly how Cairo planned. They were inside a brothel and it made Cairo cringe in disgust at the women who had no respect for themselves, throwing their bodies to men who could not give a second glance after their sinful lusts were fulfilled. Cairo hated such places, but his plan called for such actions to be taken.

Kadir was beside him now, not noticing the threatening aura that was coming off of Cairo in waves. He was falling perfectly into the trap. Used to having his voiced deepened, Cairo silently cleared his throat and lowered his eyes, catching sight of the beautiful blue colors of the woman's attire he donned now.

The man's gruff voice hit his eardrums and made him want to wince as he felt a hand that was not his run over his back. Cairo kept still and kept his eyes lowered, nodding to the man's foul question. _The plan, just remember the plan…_

Cairo felt the scarf that covered his hair being pulled back, allowing the long tresses to fall down his back. He could not hide the face any longer, a face that he kept hidden for so long.

He noticed the sick and lewd smile on the pervert's face. Kadir thought he was going to have another conquest this night.

As the Kadir quickly made his decision on how and who to spend the night with this time and dragged Cairo by the wrist to follow, there was one thought that brought a wicked grin to Cairo's face.

Abd-El Kadir was to die tonight.

There was little information to collect. What he found was what he already knew from Cairo. It has been a couple of hours since he had last seen Cairo anyhow. He could not help but wonder what he was doing now.

As he walked along the streets, blending into the crowds effortlessly, he heard screams and shouts. Shouts of murder, all coming from the brothel just down the streets. Startled women and terrified men ran from the brothel, begging to be spared.

One of the women caught his eye immediately. She was covered in blood, the red quickly overtaking the dark blue of her gown. The dressing itself looked horribly familiar, and the way to the woman was running as well. She was not as frantic as the others were; she appeared to be running to keep up the appearance of a petrified female, but she was slinking away rather than running. Trying to get away from the scene before attention could be drawn to her. There was another way she moved as well. She moved like an Assassin.

He heard guards yelling as they came to the scene, taking notice of who was killed. Abd-El Kadir. The name struck a chord, as it was the name of the target he and Cairo were assigned. His attention was turned back to the escaping female and a scowl crossed his face. If Cairo heard about this, there would be no doubt that he would somehow be able to put the blame on Altaïr. And Altaïr needed someone to pass the correct blame onto.

Altaïr wasted no more time in chasing after the woman. He has had enough with all the odd occurrences and wanted answers finally!

The woman seemed to notice his presence, how he did not know, but she began to run faster. She was surprisingly nimble in the constraints of a woman's attire. The dressing is usually hard to move in, or so he heard from the complaints of women in Masyaf. He actually struggled to keep pace as she cut corners and blended into the crowd.

Thankfully he was able to keep her in sight until she made the very first mistake. The woman turned into a dead-end alley and she could not climb, not in that gown.

Hisses of curses spilled from her mouth as she looked desperately around for a way out. There were none. Altaïr was now blocking the entry.

The woman lowered her face so that it was covered with shadows and unclear to see.

"Who are you? Did you kill Abd-El Kadir?" Altaïr questioned as he moved closer. The woman did not say anything but slowly reached into her sleeve. She knew it was a risky move, but there was no other choice.

With a fling of her hand, there was an explosion and suddenly smoke began to build around their feet. The smoke began to burn Altaïr's throat and eyes, it was so amazingly hard to breathe or see. But he could hear very well and he heard the soft, rapid footsteps of the woman passing.

With a growl, Altaïr quickly reached out with his hidden blade sliding from the brace on his left wrist. There was a ripping sound and a grunt from the woman as he caught some part of her. But she continued to run and soon disappeared.

She was long gone by the time the smoke cleared. Altaïr sighed, looking towards the entrance to the alley. He then looked down at the hidden blade at his hand. The blade was tinged with red and there was a scrap of blue fabric ripped on the ground. He must have cut her and caught the fabric of her sleeve.

It was better than nothing. Altaïr bent down to pick up the fabric and noticed that it was the same fabric as the dress he saw in Cairo's bedroom.

His eyes widened as a thought struck him. Could Cairo be…? No… He could not… The Eagle swiftly got to his feet and scaled the wall of the building to his right.

He had to see for himself to see if he was right.

 **See you all next time.**

 **Again sorry for the wait**

 **Till next time, this is OneHellOfANekoDemon85 signing off!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I wasn't lying when I said I had the chapters ready to go, they just need to be edited quite heavily and I haven't had time to do that.**

 **Sooo enjoy! I do not own Assassin's Creed.**

Altaïr ran over the rooftops, not bothering to stop to kill the guards that patrolled them. To all hell if they saw him, he had something important he had to do. He had to find out the truth! The truth about who Cairo was!

Altaïr's mind was muddled with the prospect of who Cairo truly was and who he could be. What if his assumptions were true? What would happen then? The other could be killed for such things! It would be seen as a betrayal to the Brotherhood for hiding such a secret! He could be killed for much less!

He growled under his breath as he got closer to the hidden sanctuary. He would find out the truth, even if he had to kill the Assassin for it. To hell with the rules of the Creed, this was personal.

The sanctuary was ahead of him, he could see the courtyard that led into it. Another entrance he had found in his travels earlier. He jumped down into the alley that bordered the courtyard and sought out the secret entrance that led into the hidden sanctuary. Small drops of blood were scattered around, still freshly wet and bright against the brown dirt of the ground.

Altaïr's suspicious only grew as he hurried inside and down the stairs. He had figured out how to find the secret door, even without his Eagle Vision. There was a small, very small, crack in the wall that let in a small amount of light into the dark staircase.

He opened the door as quietly as he could, which was not that much since the door was made of stone and was extremely heavy. He growled under his breath as it alerted, if anyone was inside at all, his presence.

Looking about the chamber, he could see that Cairo was nowhere that can be found. It looked as though he had not been there at all. However, Altaïr knew that that was not true, since there were small, fresh blood drops staining the brightly colored rugs on the stone floor, under his feet.

"Cairo, I know you are here. Come out and face me," Altaïr growled lowly, his arm braced to release his hidden blade. He stiffened as a tapestry started to shift and was eventually pulled back to reveal the Assassin himself, Cairo.

He still wore his mask and still gave off that annoying vibe of his, but there was a change in his stance. He was holding his left arm closer to his body, as though he was protecting it. There was also blood beginning to seep through his sleeve. Altaïr zeroed in one this and snapped his gaze to look at Cairo's masked face. Cairo noticed his gaze and shifted, hiding his arm even further discreetly.

"You are back?" Cairo asked, coming out of the hidden room, which looked as though it were a wash room. "That was… Quicker than I had expected," he muttered. Altaïr stayed silent, his only response being the narrowing of his eyes. Cairo noticed and tensed even further, but tried not to show his nervousness. It would not do to show any form of weakness now. "Did you find anything out?"

"Yes. Our target has been killed," Altaïr stated carefully, watching the other. "But you already knew that, did you not?" He continued, stepping forward. Cairo could not help but compare the situation to that of a feline predator stalking its prey, or in this case, an eagle waiting to swoop in for the kill. And he did not plan on being killed so soon, especially not by a man that knew nothing about him.

"Yes, I did know that. Word travels quickly, Altaïr. And even under the grounds, I can still hear whispers," Cairo stated calmly, looking completely relaxed. It was more relaxed than he actually felt.

"I believe that we both know that that is not how you found out," Altaïr stated clearly. Cairo felt a chill run up his spine.

"Oh? And how do you think I found out?" Cairo questioned, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"You've been lying to all of us. To me, to our brothers, to the Master, and to the Creed," Altaïr snarled. Cairo's eyes narrowed into slits.

"He is no Master of mine," he hissed right back, his body immediately shifting into a crouch. "I should have you killed for saying such nonsense," he continued. It did not escape Altaïr's notice that Cairo did not deny lying to them all.

Altaïr immediately reached to his blade at his hip and released it from its sheath. He noticed the slight panic in the other's stance, as he seemed to realize that his own sword was not available at the moment. But that panic was immediately erased and replaced with determination as Cairo slide his hidden blades from his wrists. Altaïr had not realized that he had _two_ hidden blades on his person. He had not paid enough attention.

Cairo could see the change in Altaïr at the sight of his blades and smirked widely behind his mask. He knew that Altaïr was not expecting him to have a blade at each wrist, but there was more to the one on his right than what met the eye.

"Do you really believe that fighting me is a good choice for you to make, Altaïr?" Cairo snarled at him.

"To defend the Creed and to find the truth and knowledge that I require, yes. Yes, I do," he growled back.

"Then you leave me no choice but to defend myself from you," Cairo sighed. He then noticed that Altaïr was already rushing at him, the steel in his hands poised for the kill.

With a grunt, Cairo was just barely able to block the attack. Altaïr had admittedly one thing going for him in this battle. He was larger and heavier and it would cause his hits to be harder on the smaller as well. But it also slowed him down, and Cairo was already fast due to his small size.

With a flourish, Cairo quickly spun from underneath the other Assassin and sheathed the blade on his right wrist to punch Altaïr in the jaw. The impact was enough to jar him and he stumbled backwards. It actually did hurt, Cairo had one hell of a punch to him.

Cairo took to a crouch again and waited for the next strike, but it seemed that Altaïr had learned not to go in so suddenly. Cairo was definitely a tricky fighter and very cunning and clever. Possibly more clever than he; no, completely more clever than he.

The two began to circle each other, waiting for the other to strike. Altaïr was growing impatient.

"Why do you not just tell me who you really are?" he asked, his eyes narrowing once again.

"Why? So you can kill me?" Cairo hissed back, his voice full of malice.

"I am going to kill you anyway," Altaïr stated simply, his voice mocking. Cairo huffed and lowered his body in his crouch.

"Then I shall be taking my identity to the grave," Cairo stated right back.

"So be it." And with that, Altaïr once again moved to strike Cairo with his sword, only to be thwarted by the hidden blades on his wrist once again. The boy had had a lot more training than he had in the past, Altaïr began to realize. The way he moved so fluidly and blocked so effortlessly signaled this. No doubt he practiced and sparred every day as well to keep his skills in check.

Cairo was finally able to break free from the onslaught of attacks from Altaïr's blade and made a run for the ladder. It confused him, having one of his own allies attacking him so ferociously. It was throwing Cairo off from his normal way. That and maybe that he had actually begun to like him a little. As little as he would like to admit, he had begun to actually like him.

Altaïr scowled as he watched the other run away from their fight. Was he a coward? "Get back here now!" he snarled as he raced after the other. He began to climb up after the other, reaching up and grabbing the boy's thin ankle, only to get a kick in the face, forcing him to let go.

Cairo hurried up the ladder and closed the door. There was not enough time to lock it, however. So he left it and ran to a square shaped window that was big enough for him to get out. He was already through and climbing up the side of his sanctuary by the time Altaïr had gotten through.

Altaïr watched as the other's foot disappeared from sight and went up towards the roof and went to follow. The "boy" was not going to get away from him that easily.

Cairo's arm was beginning to burn and scream with pain as his hurried movements brought him closer to the top of his sanctuary. He had to hurry, he could hear Altaïr following him and Cairo did not want to continue their fight.

There was little choice of what was able to be done. He had to get out of the city. Their target was already dead, and by his hand as it should always be done.

Cairo finally got to the roof and found the entrance gate immediately. It was pretty close by, now he just had to give Altaïr a distraction so he could leave. He looked around frantically as an idea came to him.

Altaïr had also made it to the roof of the sanctuary. He watched as Cairo began to find a way to run, but there was nothing. He was cornered.

"Cairo, tell me who you are and I may spare your life," he said calmly.

Cairo did not believe him for a second, no matter how much he wanted to. But he stilled and sighed, turning to face the other.

"Very well, you have me beat, Altaïr," Cairo sighed, playing the defeated Assassin routine. He put his hands to his sides, palms forward in surrender as he walked slowly over to the smug, elder male. "You win. And I shall tell you who I truly am," he said, his head bowed. "But, can you put away your own sword? Just so I have assurance that you will not kill me just yet?" he asked. Altaïr thought it to be a fair request. "And would you close your eyes? I will not run away, but no one has seen me take off my mask. And I would rather that stay the same as well," Cairo continued.

He rolled his eyes in response, but did as requested. It was not an order, at least. He heard the other sigh and the shifting of fabric. The mask was being lifted.

Cairo looked up at the other as he moved the mask from his face. He hated how his identity could be so easily spotted now, and how the sun and air hit his face. He was not used to it, he was used to the cool fabric of his mask. At least Altaïr was keeping true to his word and kept his eyes closed.

This was working better than he had hoped. He stepped closer and raised onto his toes to whisper into the taller male's ear.

"I am deeply sorry, Altaïr Ibn-La'ahad. But you knowing who I am is simply out of the question," Cairo whispered as a sleeping dart of his own design was slipped into Altaïr's neck.

His eyes flew open at the whispered words that the soft, light, and flowy voice had said and growled, "You tricked me!" His vision was already beginning to go, but he could still make out the outline of Cairo. He tried to reach towards it, but it was becoming too far away as he sunk to the ground.

"I know. And I am regretfully sorry," Cairo whispered. "But I am not meant to be known to the world. I wish I could tell you," he said as he turned away. "I wish I could show you who I truly am."

And with those final words, Cairo disappeared from Acre and out into the Kingdom.

Altaïr was left on the roof, asleep.

 **I do hope you enjoyed! Till next time! This is OneHellOfANekoDemon85 signing off**


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